Print coating device



Dec. 13, 1960 R. 01 PASQUALE PRINT COA'I ING DEVICE Filed Jan. 12, 1959 INVENTOR. Awwem fi/fls'qwuz I B a Arne/Way iedsws Pa t PRINT COATING DEVICE Rosario Di Pasquale, 171 Madison Ave., Paterson, NJ., assignor of thirty-five percent to James J. Cannon, Glen Rock, N. J.

Filed Jan. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,263

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-118) My invention relates to photographic equipment and is directed particularly to an accessory for facilitating the coating of photographic prints.

In the type prints developed automatically by the Polaroid instant picture process it is required, in order to give lasting hardness to the print surface, to coat it with a liquid hardening agent. This is presently done with the aid of an applicator having an elongated body portion adapted to be held between the fingers, and having a chemical soaked sponge member along its underside. In use, this applicator is pressed as it is wiped over the surface of the print to be treated. Being small and diflicult to hold without having the fingers close to the wet sponge, such use is messy. Moreover, because of the difiiculty in exerting an even pressure on the sponge as the applicator is wiped over the face of the print, parts of the print will be wet too much, while other parts will be insufficiently wetted.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide an accessory device for supporting a print applicator of the above nature whereby prints can be evenly coated with ease and without soiling the fingers.

It is another object of my invention to provide an accessory device of the character described which incorporates means for eliminating curls in prints.

It is another object of my invention to provide a print coating accessory device of the character described which embodies means for storing the chemical applicator and its container when not in use.

'Gther objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when read with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a print coating applicator device embodying the invention, showing the applicator and its container in exploded relation thereto,

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the applicator device in use in coating a print, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, illustrating details of construction and operation of the applicator device.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, designates the applicator device generally, which may be made of cast metal or a synthetic plastic material for example. The device 10 is elongated in form and comprises an upper body portion 11 and a lower body portion 12 held in spaced relation along their lengths by an integrally formed bridge portion 13 at one end. The underside 14 of the upper body portion 11 is flat, and has square corners to facilitate straightening print curls, as is hereinbelow more fully described. The body portion 11 is further formed along its length with a circular groove 11a, encompassing greater than 180 degrees of a circle in cross-sectional contour, which opens to the outer end of the device and which is adapted for insertion of the cylindrical container C to hold it when not in use, so that said cylindrical container C cannot be lifted out, but must be slid out longitudinally, as illustrated by the broken-line representation thereof in Fig. 3.

The lower body portion 12 of the applicator device 10 is semi-cylindrical in form and provided, along its length and opposite the flat underside 14 of the upper body portion 11, with a pair of spaced, opposed, rectangular shoulder recesses 15 communicating with a deep central groove 16 which may be arcuate in cross-section. The opening defined by the shoulder recesses 15 and the groove 16 in the lower body portion 12 is adapted to slidably receive longitudinally therein the applicator A with its side flanges F resting on said shoulder recesses, as best illustrated in Fig. 3.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 means is provided for opening the outer end of the lower body portion 12, said means comprising a cap 17 which is hinged to said lower body portion by means of a tongue 18, groove 19 and hinge pin 20, and which has an end wall 21. As seen in Fig. 1, the outer hinged portion 17 can be swung downwardly to allow sliding insertion of the applicator A after which it will be swung up again to lock the applicator in place by means of a tit 23, which frictionally holds tongue 18 in a closed position. In addition, in the open position tit 23 serves the purpose of preventing cap 17 from swinging to a closed position, since tongue 19 in the open position clears tit 23 and cap 17 will close only when counterclockwise torque pressure is exerted on cap 17. The spacing between the upper and lower body portions 11 and 12 is such that when the applicator A is inserted, its chemical-holding sponge S will be compressed slightly against the flat undersurface 14 of said upper body portion (see Fig. 3).

In use, the print P to be coated will be inserted in the device between the sponge S therein and the flat undersurface 14 and pulled through slowly with the fingers, touching only the edge portions of the print. If the print is curled and needs straightening, it can be pulled against the straight edge of the flat surface 14 with sufficient force to remove the curl.

While I have shown and described herein one form in which my invention may conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to be understood that this form is given by way of example and not in a limiting sense. In short, my invention includes all the embodiments of the invention coming within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A print coating device comprising an upper elongated body portion having a flat underside, a lower elongated body portion having its upper face in closely aligned spaced parallel relation to the underside of said upper body portion, a bridge integrally interconnecting the adjacent end portions at one end of said device, said lower body portion having a relatively deep groove extending longitudinally from its free end to said bridged portion and a longitudinally extending shoulder communicating with said groove at each side thereof, an elongated applicator having a sponge mounted therein and a flange extending from each side thereof, a container mounted in the upper face of said upper body portion and adapted to normally receive said applicator, said applicator being slidably receivable in said groove with said flanges simultaneously receivable in said shoulders, whereby said sponge abuts in pressing relation the flat underside of said upper body portion, a cap hingedly connected at its lower end to the lower end of the free end portion of said lower body portion, said cap being swingable to close the free end of said lower body portion whereby to encompass the exposed end of said applicator when the latter is positioned in said lower body portion.

p 7 References Cited in the fileof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS V 2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said cap when in closed position has its outer face in vertical parallel relation to the free end face of said upper body Portion 7 Re. 18,441 Switzer Apr. 26, 1932 3. A device as defined in claim 2 wherein said cap is 5 provided with a groove and shoulders which align with F ,gA

the groove and shoulders of said lower body portion 456,472 Germany Feb. 23, 1928 when said cap is in closed position. 1,161,604 France Mar. 24, 1958 

